


Death of an Era

by RinJak3



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: TW: Blood, TW: Self Harm, TW: Suicide, tw: death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23045284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinJak3/pseuds/RinJak3
Kudos: 4





	1. Introduction

This is inspired by a speedpaint I found on YouTube! The writing belongs to me, but the credit for the artwork and the inspiration behind it goes to Blits Azalis Dash on YouTube. The link to the video can be found here: https://youtu.be/Cmd4-PSfAyI


	2. Part 1: Rainbow Dash- Velocity

Rainbow Dash had been the first- practicing for the Wonderbolts, that was what she’d said. Her routine quickly bored her though, and she glanced up at the sky. “One little rainboom couldn’t hurt.” She reasoned with herself, and with that, she was off like a shot, ignoring the straining of her wing muscles- that was her first mistake, according to the doctor. Within minutes, she had reached the optimal speed for performing the stunt that had earned her cutie mark, and she quickly pulled into a dive. With barely any effort, she had managed to create the spectacular lightshow she was known for. With a triumphant laugh, she flared her wings out to slow her descent- the fatal move. The hollow bones that connected her wings to her rib cage snapped, and she let out a cry as she could no longer slow herself. It was the oxygen, they said, that killed her- her lungs had started taking in more oxygen faster than they could process, and they had collapsed. The final stages of her deterioration occurred as she plunged back into the normal atmosphere- it had ripped her face, her skull open to the elements, and had shredded her deadened wings.


	3. Part 2: Applejack- crushing

Applejack was next. She’d been working in the orchard, and was checking on the stability of the old tree, one that had been threatening to fall for a while now. She was humming, and was focused on her task, when she was distracted by a tremor, and a burst of light, faint in the dusk. She looked up and noticed a rainboom. “Dang it Rainbow, can’t even go one day without being flashy...” she grumbled. “One of these days, I reckon- hrGK-“ she was cut off by a sudden weight crushing down on her back- in her distraction, she had failed to notice the tree, shaken loose by the tremors of the rainboom. She coughed, blood spraying from her mouth, and struggled to free herself- no such luck, the tree had crushed her spine, rendering her hind legs useless. She tried to call for help, but all that came out was a quiet gurgling sound, accompanied by more blood. It didn’t take long, drowned in her own blood, they said.


	4. Part 3: Twilight Sparkle- possession

Twilight- dear Twilight Sparkle. Everyone thought that the alicorn would have been the last to go, living as long as Princess Celestia and Luna themselves. Fate has a twisted sense of humor, to take her so quickly. It had been an accident- they really should put the warnings before the spells... she had been reading, learning some new spells with spike at her side. “Revival spell...?” She glanced at the potted plant Fluttershy had given her for her participation in the Ponyville Marethon, though she had come in last. The plant was withered, and she sighed sadly, and used her magic to bring it over to her. Quickly scanning through the spell, she proceeded to cast it. That was when the lights went out, the only light source coming from the moon outside, and the glow of twilights horn. It unsettled spike for a moment, though he couldn’t place a claw on why, when suddenly it clicked- twilights magic was supposed to glow magenta, not red!   
The only recollection anyone would have on that night was finding Spike, bent over Twilight, knife in claw, and an almost disbelieving look on his face, mumbling, “no, no no nononononono Twi I didn’t mean to- I’m sorry- please wake up...” Not knowing that the moment she had finished casting the spell, she had given up her life to become a host to something much more sinister.


	5. Part 4: Rarity- bleeding

Rarity was next- ever the generous, loving pony, the death of her friends- the death of her dear Jackie especially- shook her to the core.   
She had heard it from Sweetie Bell, a pity the young filly had to hear of something so horrible at such a young age... and it had snapped something in her.   
Before even realizing what she was doing, she used her magic to grab a knife, holding it to her jawline. It was quick, a simple slice, hardly anything really- and yet at the scent of the metallic blood, something primal woke.   
With a cold, focused stare, she continued, shredding and slicing through snowy white fur and skin, tearing through muscle and severing arteries- it was a wonder she had continued as long as she did.   
Reports say she was dead within minutes- perhaps seconds, a careful ‘AJ’ smeared into the floor with the blood.


	6. Part 5: Fluttershy- mauling

Fluttershy had tried not to let the deaths affect her- she really had tried- so she had thrown herself completely into her work, tending to animals and other critters. She had mistakenly wandered off to the part of the forest where the Ursa lived, and had come across the Minor, who appeared lost. She approached it carefully, her hooves leaving light imprints in the grass. “Hey there little guy...” she murmured. Her voice soft. “Are you alright?” She moved a bit closer, and laid down, whispering quietly to the Ursa. After a while, and this would come as no surprise if anyone else was there, the celestial bear eventually warmed to her, nudging her laying form to instead be settled on its paw. Fluttershy’s mistake was not moving- she was to sweet and caring not to... as must eventually happen, the Ursa Major found her baby, and noticing Fluttershy- it must have considered her a threat. It was quick- it went for a fatal blow first- ripping out a chunk of her stomach. Her forehoof was next- completely gone, rib cage exposed. Her leg and wing were mostly gone when help arrived. By that time, the Ursas had left.


	7. Part 6: Pinkie Pie- suicide

Pinkie Pie was the last one left- energetic to the end. But once she was alone, the deaths of her closest most bestest friends (in her words) came crashing down on her.   
The usually bright, fun and bouncy mane and tail she was so proud of flattened and dulled, and her eyes went dull as well.   
She cast a sad look at the photo of the group, one of the first pictures they had taken- just after getting the elements of harmony.   
She trotted over to the center of her room, where a hook was twisted into the ceiling. Originally for things like holding up streamers, now it seemed the perfect place for a rope.   
She quickly fetched one, using a stool to get to the required height, and strung it up. With a few deft twists, the noose was complete, and she slipped her head through it, and with a final glance at the photograph, she kicked the stool away.  
She was found hours later, a smile on her face- a sad one in place of her usual bubbly grin, bruises creeping up her neck, small patches of blood where the rope had rubbed sores.


	8. The Aftermath

There is good news to be found, however, in the midst of the tragedy- for while the ponies of Canterlot and Ponyville grieved for the 6 ponies that they had come to love dearly, if one were visiting on that day, in a brightly lit room in the castle, they would have heard laughter. For indeed, the six holders of the elements of harmony were quite alive and unharmed, thanks to some clever special effects, and magic. The doctors and spike were in on it the whole time! For rainbow dash, it was simply a matter of getting fake wings that they could rip up, and getting a mask and some prosthetics ready, then having her go perform a rainboom- the FX was applied quite swiftly, her wings were tucked in tightly, holding the fakes in place, and the doctors checked her pulse and declared her dead.  
Applejack was a bit tougher- see, they had to be careful about the tree- it really was loose, so they dug some of the earth beneath it, and dug up some of the earth so AJ could lay flat and have the tree ‘fall’ and crush her- Twilight and Rairity waited until they had seen the rainboom, and used their magic to topple the tree slowly, giving AJ enough time to get into position. Some ketchup, and people were convinced.  
For twilight, all that was needed was a helper, a spinal prosthetic, and a fake spell- she had applied the prosthetic beforehand, so spike flicked the lights out at twilights cue, and she had flopped down, covering herself in ketchup, and to complete the scene, spike simply needed a knife, and to act like he had stabbed her in defense.  
Then rarity- that was easy. She had simply made quite the slim fitting suit, complete with slashes and dangling bits that would be covered in ketchup, and a knife. The slice in her face was the only prosthetic she needed.  
Fluttershy was a bit harder to fake- again, they had used a fake wing, shredded and torn, and several prosthetics- but then they had to hide one of her legs and forehooves. They had dug out small holes in the ground that she could hide the limbs in, and they had applied prosthetics carefully to hide them and make them appear missing, then covered her in ketchup, and then they had made up the story of the Ursas.  
Pinkie Pie was easy- but also dangerous. She had wanted to make it look as real as possible, so they had used a real noose, but with a second stool, which twilight had turned invisible, they were able to convince the ponies.  
With that, they had all been escorted to the castle, carefully keeping them out of sight of anyone, and snuck the ponies into a room, where they could clean up themselves, and with some help from rarity, they changed their appearances, and had used makeup to hide their old cutie marks, creating new ones. After that, they simply left the castle, and made their way to a far village in equestria, where they could start anew.


	9. Part 7: Princess Cadance- grief

When Shining Armor had passed away from old age, as must happen eventually, princess Cadance refused to come out of her room or eat. The grief hurt her to an unbearable level. The only thing she wanted was to see Shining Armor again, but that was impossible. So long as she was an alicorn, she could not die unless killed.   
That was when she got her idea. Maybe... maybe if her heart was ripped out, the pain would go away?   
Steeling her resolve, she used her horn to slice through her chest, and used her magic to pull her heart out.   
Surprisingly, it hadn’t hurt. She stared at the organ in wonder, ignoring the pool of blood gushing from her chest. She watched as the muscle gave a few, feeble pulses- then stopped. As she slipped into unconsciousness, her last thought was, ‘I’m coming, my love.’


	10. Part 8: Celestia- Betrayal

Ever the kind, practical leader, everyone had assumed that Princess Celestia would live long, reigning over all of Equestria for many moons to come. Unfortunately, fate had a twisted sense of humor for the ruler. She had been enjoying a quiet moment to herself, flying over her kingdom, away from the noise and responsibilities of Canterlot. The sunrise was beautiful, she had ensured that, and her eyes drifted closed, her wings guiding her over the now familiar currents of wind as she breathed in the crisp morning air. It was this lull in her senses that made the following elude her; as she let herself relax, she was unaware of the dark shadow covering her lovely sun, blotting out all but a ring of light. Her eyes flew open as she heard an all too familiar laugh- “no... she’s gone. She can’t be back...” but deep inside, she knew. Her sister had escaped her moon prison after mere hours, and with her escape, once more came the rise of Nightmare Moon. Her first thought was the elements- if she could get to them in time, she could save Equestria again. She dove forward, fear driving her to fly faster than she ever had before. She failed to notice the dark shadow swiftly approaching, and only became aware of the presence as she felt a jolt of pain in her back, blossoming into a torrent of agony that spread throughout her chest. Blood gushed, and she felt her wings faltering, ending with her falling. Almost as if by some miracle, she found herself lying on the ground, and she felt the energy of the elements nearby. With a feeble grab at her magic, she casted the spell necessary to reveal them, and she brought them to her. The shadowy figure of her nightmared sister approached, and as her vision went dark, she pulled the remainder of her magic to seal her sister once more in her lunar prison.


	11. Part 8: Luna- freezing

The second Princess Luna had been again banished to the moon, the shackles that had been burrowed deep into the surface dragged her down, trapping her. Were it not for her swift thinking and even faster reaction, she would have frozen instantly. With a quick spell, she used her magic to supply herself with oxygen, and fight off the cold.  
She had been screaming, crying, and pleading for forgiveness for days, as well as trying to escape, to no avail. She realized it was only a matter of time before she died, and she dropped on her stomach.  
As the last of her strength faded from her, so did the magic keeping her alive. As the last bit of magic left her horn, and her breath turned to ice, she croaked out her final words; “Tia... I’m- im sor..ry...”


End file.
